Remote teams cannot huddle around a physical whiteboard. Online whiteboard tools provide infinite canvas collaboration where distributed teams brainstorm, map processes, design wireframes, and run workshops in real time. The best ones feel as natural as drawing on paper while adding structure through templates, sticky notes, voting, and timers. Pair your whiteboard with a collaboration tool and video conferencing platform for effective remote workshops.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you when you purchase through our links. All opinions are our own.
1. Miro
Miro Best Overall
Miro is the dominant online whiteboard with the richest feature set and largest user base. The infinite canvas handles everything from quick sticky note brainstorms to complex enterprise architecture diagrams with thousands of elements. Real-time collaboration is smooth with cursors, comments, and reactions visible to all participants instantly. The template library includes 2,500+ pre-built frameworks for sprint planning, journey mapping, retrospectives, and design thinking workshops.
The 2026 AI features generate diagrams from text descriptions, cluster sticky notes by theme, summarize board content, and suggest next steps. For product teams, the Jira, Asana, and Monday.com integrations turn whiteboard ideas into tracked work items with one click. Miro is the safest choice for teams that need a whiteboard that does everything.
- Pricing: Free (3 boards); Starter $8/member/mo; Business $16/member/mo
- Pros: Largest template library, best integrations, AI features, excellent collaboration, massive community
- Cons: 3-board free limit, gets expensive for large teams, can lag with very large boards
- Best for: Product, design, and engineering teams needing a versatile visual collaboration platform
2. FigJam
FigJam Best for Design Teams
FigJam is Figma's whiteboard tool, designed to sit alongside your design files in the same workspace. For teams already using Figma for UI/UX design, FigJam provides brainstorming and planning that feeds directly into design work. Sticky notes, shapes, connectors, and stamps create a playful collaboration experience that encourages participation.
The widget ecosystem adds interactive elements like polls, voting, timers, and music players directly to the board. AI features generate diagrams, sort stickies, and create summaries. The connection to Figma design files means you can reference designs on whiteboard sessions and move insights back into design projects seamlessly.
- Pricing: Free (3 FigJam files); Professional $5/editor/mo; Organization $5/editor/mo
- Pros: Figma integration, playful UX, widgets, cheapest paid plan, AI features
- Cons: Less powerful than Miro for complex diagrams, Figma-centric, fewer templates
- Best for: Design teams using Figma who need brainstorming and planning alongside design
3. Lucidspark
Lucidspark Best for Workshops
Lucidspark is built for facilitated brainstorming sessions with voting, timers, breakout boards, and laser pointers that keep workshops productive. The facilitator controls guide participants through structured exercises while the voting and sorting tools quickly prioritize ideas. For teams running regular ideation sessions, design sprints, or strategic planning workshops, Lucidspark's facilitation tools are unmatched.
Integration with Lucidchart means ideas can flow from brainstorm to professional diagram without re-creating content. The collaborative features include anonymous sticky notes (reducing bias), emoji reactions, and real-time activity feeds that show what everyone is contributing.
- Pricing: Free (3 boards); Individual $7.95/mo; Team $9/user/mo; Enterprise custom
- Pros: Best facilitation tools, voting and timers, Lucidchart integration, anonymous input
- Cons: Fewer templates than Miro, less flexible canvas, Lucid ecosystem focus
- Best for: Workshop facilitators and teams running structured brainstorming sessions
Selling collaboration tools?
LeadSpark identifies teams actively evaluating whiteboard and collaboration software.
Get Collaboration Buyer Leads4. Excalidraw
Excalidraw Best Open Source
Excalidraw is free, open-source, and requires no account. Open the website and start drawing. The hand-drawn aesthetic gives diagrams a casual, approachable look that works well for technical discussions and architecture diagrams. Real-time collaboration works through shareable links with no signup required.
For developers and technical teams, Excalidraw's simplicity is its superpower. No templates to navigate, no onboarding flow - just a canvas and drawing tools. The library system lets you save and reuse components. Self-hosting is available for organizations wanting data control. The VS Code extension embeds whiteboards directly in your development environment.
- Pricing: Free (unlimited, no account); Excalidraw+ $7/editor/mo (cloud features)
- Pros: Free, no account needed, open source, hand-drawn aesthetic, VS Code extension
- Cons: No templates, basic collaboration, limited facilitation tools, minimal integrations
- Best for: Developers and technical teams wanting a fast, free, no-friction whiteboard
5. Microsoft Whiteboard
Microsoft Whiteboard Best Microsoft Integration
Microsoft Whiteboard integrates directly into Teams meetings and the Microsoft 365 suite. During a Teams call, open Whiteboard and everyone collaborates on the same canvas in real time. The deep Microsoft integration means whiteboards embed in Teams channels, link to OneNote, and share through SharePoint with enterprise permissions.
For organizations already on Microsoft 365, Whiteboard provides good-enough visual collaboration without adding another subscription. Templates cover common scenarios like retrospectives, SWOT analysis, and project planning. The Copilot AI generates content, organizes ideas, and creates summaries from whiteboard sessions.
- Pricing: Free with Microsoft account; included in Microsoft 365
- Pros: Free with M365, Teams integration, Copilot AI, enterprise security, unlimited boards
- Cons: Less feature-rich than Miro, fewer templates, basic drawing tools, slower performance
- Best for: Microsoft 365 organizations wanting integrated whiteboarding in Teams
6. Whimsical
Whimsical Best for Wireframes
Whimsical combines whiteboards with wireframes, flowcharts, and mind maps in a single tool. The wireframe library includes pre-built UI components that snap together for quick prototyping directly on the whiteboard. For product teams that go from brainstorm to wireframe to flowchart in the same session, Whimsical eliminates tool switching.
The AI features generate wireframes from text descriptions, create flowcharts from processes, and produce mind maps from topics. The clean, minimal interface focuses on content over chrome. For product teams that value speed and simplicity over the feature depth of Miro, Whimsical delivers a more focused experience.
- Pricing: Free (limited); Pro $10/editor/mo; Organization $10/editor/mo
- Pros: Wireframes + whiteboard unified, clean UI, AI generation, fast and focused
- Cons: Fewer collaboration features, smaller template library, less flexible than Miro
- Best for: Product teams needing wireframes, flowcharts, and brainstorming in one tool
7. Canva Whiteboard
Canva Whiteboard Best for Non-Designers
Canva Whiteboard brings visual collaboration to teams that already use Canva for design. The drag-and-drop interface, Canva's massive media library, and polished templates make it the most visually appealing whiteboard tool for non-designers. Sticky notes, connectors, shapes, and Canva's design elements combine for boards that look professional without design skill.
The advantage is accessibility - anyone who has used Canva can use Canva Whiteboard immediately. The integration with Canva presentations means whiteboard content flows into polished slide decks. For marketing, sales, and non-technical teams, Canva Whiteboard provides visual collaboration in a familiar environment.
- Pricing: Free (limited); Canva Pro $12.99/mo; Canva Teams $14.99/user/mo
- Pros: Canva ecosystem, beautiful templates, media library, accessible to non-designers
- Cons: Less powerful for complex diagrams, fewer PM integrations, basic collaboration features
- Best for: Marketing and non-technical teams wanting beautiful, accessible visual collaboration
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Platform | Starting Price | Free Boards | Templates | AI | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miro | $8/member/mo | 3 | 2,500+ | Yes | Overall best |
| FigJam | $5/editor/mo | 3 | 300+ | Yes | Design teams |
| Lucidspark | $7.95/mo | 3 | 100+ | Basic | Workshops |
| Excalidraw | Free | Unlimited | None | No | Developers |
| MS Whiteboard | Free | Unlimited | 50+ | Copilot | M365 teams |
| Whimsical | $10/editor/mo | Limited | 50+ | Yes | Wireframes |
| Canva | $12.99/mo | Limited | 500+ | Yes | Non-designers |
Ready to collaborate visually?
Start with Miro or FigJam free tier. Run one team brainstorm session and compare the experience.
Get Matched to the Right ToolHow to Choose
Need everything? Miro. Most templates, integrations, and features for versatile visual collaboration.
Design team on Figma? FigJam. Same workspace as your designs with the cheapest paid plan.
Running workshops? Lucidspark. Voting, timers, and facilitation tools keep sessions productive.
Developer? Excalidraw. Free, fast, no signup - just draw.
On Microsoft 365? Microsoft Whiteboard. Free and integrated into Teams meetings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best online whiteboard tool?
Miro is the best overall. FigJam is best for design teams. Lucidspark excels at facilitated workshops. Excalidraw is the best free open-source option.
Are there free online whiteboard tools?
Yes. Miro Free allows 3 boards. Excalidraw is completely free with no account. Microsoft Whiteboard is free with Microsoft accounts.
How much do online whiteboard tools cost?
Most cost $5-16/user/month for team plans. Free tiers exist from most providers with board or feature limitations.
Can online whiteboards replace physical whiteboards?
For distributed teams, yes. Online whiteboards offer infinite canvas, persistence, templates, and collaboration that physical boards cannot match.
Build AI-powered visual tools with corteX SDK
Brain-inspired AI orchestration for building intelligent collaboration features with adaptive workflows.
Get Started - pip install cortex-ai